


Good Cop, Bad Cop

by juicytree21



Category: Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, F/M, M/M, Organized Crime, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2018-10-12 20:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10498638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juicytree21/pseuds/juicytree21
Summary: An AU prompt created by the-caps-ass.tumblr.comI'm just the author guys. If it sucks, sorry





	1. Chapter 1

Nick sat at his desk with his hand wrapped around the handle of a coffee mug. He tapped his pen on the edge of the desk and raised the mug to his lips. He took a sip and looked out across the department. 

Officers milled around chatting idly to one another. A couple of punk kids were handcuffed to a bench with somber looks on their faces. A few civilians lingered by the front desk, most likely there to report some crime that will never get formally investigated.

“Bellinski!” Nick looked across the room at the chief who was standing in the doorway to her office. He put his mug aside and pocketed the pen. He walked over to her office and she gestured for him to enter.

“I have some news about Sinclair.” He perked up at the mention of his partner.

“You have news about Matthew?” She nodded.

“He's dead. They found his body in Puget Sound.” He grimaced. 

“Washington. I should have known. He always wanted to see the Salish sea.” She nodded.

“I'm sorry, Nick. He was a great detective and a good man. A death sentence makes people do crazy things. Dumb things even.” He nodded and sat down in one of the seats in front of her desk.

“How'd he die? Was it the cancer? Or…” He trailed off.

“Hotel room. He passed in his sleep.” He nodded.

“How's Sarah?” 

“She's dealing.”

Rochelle, the police chief, was Sarah’s younger half sister and he knew that she was grieving the loss of her brother-in-law too. She sat next to him and offered him a flask she'd seemingly pulled from nowhere. He arched an eyebrow and she shrugged.

“I won't tell if you won't.” He grabbed the flask and took a long drink. The whiskey burned his throat and he handed the flask back to her. She took a sip and capped the flask.

“I'm sorry, Chief Price.” 

“I'm sorry too. Especially since I have some more bad news.”

“What?” She sighed.

“We've got a junior detective transferring. And since you're partner-less, you've got him.” He groaned.

“Already? Can't a guy grieve?” 

“Sorry, Bellinski. He arrives tomorrow.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

The next day Nick took his time getting to work. Price had told him the junior detective would be there after 11 and he didn't have to be there until 10. When he showed up, he could feel everyone's eyes on him. They were whispering to each other softly and he glared.

“Bellinski!” He looked up to see Louis, a beat cop, approaching him with a cup of coffee.

“How's it going, Banks?” Louis smiled and handed him the cup.

“Same old, same old. How about you? How're you holding up?” Nick shrugged and took a sip of the coffee. Perfect like always. 

“I'm still here, aren't I?” Louis nodded.

“That's fair.” Louis fell silent for a few seconds before clearing his throat. “So...you ready for your new partner?” Nick snorted.

“Hell no! This is some dumb kid who somehow managed to make it from beat cop to junior detective. I've read his file, man, and I can tell you that this kid won't last the year.” Louis grimaced. 

“Really? Why?”

“First off, he barely passed his oral exam. He passed the written test with a C. His physical was good but his psych eval? Whoo! Don't get me started.” 

“So what? Bordeline psycho with the ability run two miles without stopping? Sounds like another detective I know.” He said with a smirk.

“Just shut up and go fill out some paperwork or something.” Louis nodded and headed back to his station. 

Nick sat at his desk, sipping his coffee and staring at the front doors. Everyone who walked in made him perk up a bit until he realized they were just there to file complaints or drop off paperwork. He finished off his coffee and turned on his computer. 

_Might as well get some work done._ He thought as he typed in his username and passcode.

“Uh ‘cuse me, sir?” He looked up to see a young man standing in front of his desk in a rumpled, ill fitting suit. The kid had a thick southern dialect Nick couldn't quite place.

“Can I help you?” Nick asked, irritated.

“Yew're detective Bellinski, right? I'm junior detective Whitley. Pleasure to meet yew, sir.” He held out a hand and Nick shook it half-heartedly, staring the kid down. 

_You've got to be fucking kidding me!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! I've been super busy lately!

CHAPTER TWO  
□■□■□■□■□■□■

Ellis stood in his mother's foyer adjusting his tie in the small mirror by the front door. He shuffled his feet awkwardly and he heard a chuckle. He turned to see his mother standing in the doorway to the living room with a smile on her face. She stepped forward and fixed his tie.

“23 years on this planet and yew still haven't learned how to properly tie one of these.” He blushed slightly and she patted his cheek.

“I can tie it. I'm just a bit nervous.” 

“Yew’ll do fine, El. Trust me.” She gave him a warm smile and he nodded. 

“Thanks Ma.” She squeezed his shoulder and he grabbed his keys off the hook by the front door.

“Yew make sure you come here for dinner tonight. If you can, ok?” He nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before opening the door and stepping out into the bright morning sun.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Ellis arrived at the police station, he immediately felt all eyes in the room turn towards him. He gulped a bit and walked up to the desk.

“I'm looking for Chief Price.” The officer nodded and smiled.

“Just through those doors over there.” He pointed to a set of large wooden doors at the back of the large office. 

He walked past dozens of cops and detectives who all pretended to be hyper focused on whatever was in front of them. He took a sharp breath and kept walking along. He pulled open one of the large doors and stuck his head in. 

“Chief Price?” She looked up from her computer and smiled.

“Whitley? Pleasure to meet you.” She stood and he crossed the room to shake her hand.

“Pleasure to meet yew too, ma’am.”

“You ready, kid? Because your partner is eager to meet you.” She said with a pleasant smile.

“I'm as ready as ever, ma’am.” He answered with a toothy smile.

“Great. Your partner is Nicolas Bellinski. One of the best detectives we have here. Over 130 closed cases. And he's a great guy.” 

“So when do I meet him?” She walked past him and opened the door. She pointed at a dark haired man in a black suit who was sitting at a desk, his eyes on his computer screen.

“Right now.” Ellis nodded and left the office.

He crossed the room to stand in front of the man's desk. He cleared his throat but the detective didn't look up. 

“Uh ‘cuse me, sir?” The guy looked up, an annoyed look on his face.

“Can I help you?” He asked, irritated. Ellis smiled.

“Yew're detective Bellinski, right? I'm junior detective Whitley. Pleasure to meet yew, sir.” He held out and hand and Bellinski curled his lip and shook it weakly.

“Uh…..sure. You too. I'm Nick. Don't call me Bellinski.” 

“I'm Ellis. Or Whitley. Or El. I don't mind what yew call me. Unless it's a rude nickname. I don't really like those. But I mean, who does?” He blabbered. 

“You've got to be fucking kidding me?” Nick said disgusted. 

“Is somethin’ wrong?” Nick clenched his jaw and shook his head.

“No. I'm...fine. Go sit at your desk or something.” He waved him away and Ellis frowned.

“Uh...ok?” He walked over to the desk next to Nick’s and sat down. The whole desk looked barren and he twisted his face up. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small picture frame and put it next to his monitor. The picture was of Keith, Dave, and him standing on a dock in their swim trunks with dumb smiles on their faces. He smiled a bit before turning back towards Nick.

“Now what?” Nick looked up from his computer.

“What?”

“What do I do now?” Nick groaned.

“I don't know, Hayseed. Figure something out. Set up your email or some shit.” Ellis frowned and turned his computer on. 

“Don't call me Hayseed.” He said firmly.

“Hey Bellinski! The new kid here...yet.” Louis trailed off as his eyes landed on Ellis. He grinned and walked over to Ellis. He held out a hand and he smiled brightly before shaking it. 

“I'm Louis Banks. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” 

“Ellis Whitley. Nice to meet you, sir.” Louis chuckled.

“Interesting dialect. Georgia?” Ellis’ eyebrows shot up. 

“Yeah. Savannah.” 

“I love Georgia. I used to spend summers with my grandma in Atlanta.” 

“Georgia sucks.” Nick muttered. Louis waved him off.

“He's a dick. He grows on you. Trust me. So how about I call IT and get them down here to set up your computer?” Ellis smiled.

“Thanks Officer Banks.” Louis laughed.

“You're a detective now Ellis, you don't have to call me officer. Just Louis.”

“He's not a detective yet.” Nick muttered. Ellis glared at him. 

“Yes he is. Shut up, Nick.” Louis said in his defense. 

“Whatever. I've got a case to work on.” He stood and Louis cleared his throat.

“Actually...you _both_ have a case to work on.” Louis said with a smirk. Nick glared at him before standing.

“Follow me, punk.” Nick said walking towards the stairwell. Ellis stood and gave Louis a pleading look. He threw up his hands and smiled.

“I can't help you kid. Sorry.”

Ellis ran after Nick and followed closely on his heels. They walked to the second floor, Ellis curious as to where they were going. 

“Uh...Nick,” Ellis started. Nick put up a gand to silence him. 

“We're getting your stuff. I can't have a partner who doesn't have any way to watch his back and mine.” Ellis nodded.

They made it upstairs and walked down and long hallway. Nick opened the door at the end of the hall and Ellis followed him in. There was and young woman sitting at a desk with headphones in. She was watching something on her phone and she didn't seem to notice then enter the room.

“Zoey.” She ignored Nick and he rolled his eyes and pulled her headphones out.

“Hey! What the fuck?!” She shouted, glaring angrily at Nick.

“Pay attention pipsqueak!” She curled her lip at him and growled under her breath.

“Stop acting like a dog. Get this kid his shit.” She looked over at Ellis and smiled.

“Whitley, right? Come over here.” She stood from her desk and crossed the room to a huge cage separating off a section of the room. She unlocked the door and stepped in. She skimmed the white buckets that were lined up on a shelving unit.

“Here we go!” She pulled a bucket off the shelf and handed it to him. 

“Hell yeah!” He crowed lifting his pistol from the bucket. He clipped clipped his holster to his hip and pulled out the rest of his things. His badge was at the bottom and he smiled.

“Shinier than the one I had in Georgia.” Zoey smiled.

“Everything is shinier in Bordenville. You'll see soon enough.” She said with a wink. He blushed deeply and she smiled.

“Stop flirting and hurry up.” Zoey rolled her eyes and groaned.

“When I make my first movie I'm making a character based off you, Nick! And then I'm killing him!” She shouted at him. 

“Good!” He shouted back.

“He doesn't really get along with people here does he?” Ellis asked.

“Nope.” She said, popping the “p” at the end of the word. 

“That ain't reassuring.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter?! *Gasp*
> 
> I know its been....too long. But I'm back. And more inspired than ever. I finally got a new copy of L4D2 and my inspiration came back full force. Plus binging all of Blind Man's Bluff by @ladyredms made me get the Nellis itch.
> 
> So enjoy. And chapter 4 will be up soon!

Nick ended his day by collapsing on his couch with a bottle of whiskey. He'd long since moved past the cumbersome glasses in his kitchen cabinet and settled for drinking straight from the bottle. It seemed to be the only thing he did after work. He always used to hit the bars with Matt after work. But now he was alone.

He took a long sip from the whiskey and relished in the warmth it spread through his hands and chest. He thought about lighting up a cigarette but he didn't want to bother opening his window. The smell lingered throughout his apartment anyways and it put off the women he brought back to his place. 

Nick took another long sip and looked down at his badge attached to his hip. He remembered Ellis’ grinning face as he rambled away all day. He groaned and rubbed his temples. The kid was young and clearly competent enough to do his job since he'd made junior detective at only 23 but it didn't stop the little shit from being annoying.

He'd spent most of the day getting Ellis set up and familiar with the station and his fellow detectives and officers. The kid always seemed to have a blinding grin on his face, showing off his white teeth and plush lips. 

Nick shook his head and frowned at his own thought. Why the hell was he thinking about Ellis’ lips? That was weird and he didn't like the way it made him feel. He shifted in his seat and pulled his cigarettes out.

 _Fuck it._ He thought as he lit it up, forgoing opening the window.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Ellis walked through his front door to the sound of silverware clinking against glass and music playing from the kitchen. He smiled and hung his coat up before heading down the hall to kitchen. His mother stood in front of the sink washing dishes, humming a tune he didn't recognize. 

“Hi mama.” She looked over her shoulder at him and grinned.

“Hello baby.” She turned off the sink and wiped her hands dry on her apron. “How was your first day?” He grinned at her.

“Real good. Muh new partner is real smart and nice. And so is everyone there. It's a real nice station.” 

“Well sit on down. I made yer favorite for dinner.” He crossed the room to the table and sat down. 

The dishes of food sat in front of him and he began piling mashed potatoes on his plate while his mama carved up his roast beef. After filling his plate of food, he held his hand out to his mother who'd already bowed her head.

“Dear Lord, thank yew for the food yew’ve given us and for keeping us healthy. And thank yew kindly for this new job. Please watch over Keith and Leigh Anne as they try to start their family. Watch over my new partner Nick and Chief Price as they grieve the loss of their friend, Matthew. Lord, I hope you take him into your kingdom and show him forgiveness and kindness. Amen.” His mother smiled and watched her son begin scarfing his food down.

“So tell me ‘bout yer new partner?” She questioned, pouring herself a glass of water.

“He's real cool. His names Nick Bellinski. He's preparing for his Sergeant exam too. He's been on the force for 17 years.” She seemed pleased to hear that her son was working with a more experienced detective. Someone who would keep her daredevil son out of trouble.

“Are there any pretty girls working with ya?” His flushed cheeks answered her question and she giggled. “What's her name?” 

“...Zoey.” She smiled.

“Is she nice? Yew gonna ask her out?” His flushed cheeks turned beet red and he choked on his food a bit. 

“Mama! Give me a day ‘fore yew start trying to find me a wife and get grandbabies.”

“I only push yew ‘cause you always chicken out. Girls always gotta make the first move with yew.”

“I'm not good with girls, Ma.” He said softly. She placed a hand on his back and smiled gently at him. 

“Yew’ll find the right person someday.” He frowned at her sudden use of the word “ _person_ ” instead of “ _girl_ ”. 

“Sure hope so.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Nick woke to his phone ringing and he groaned at the sharp noise. He hangover pounded at his head and he sat up slowly, running his tongue over his teeth. He grabbed his phone and answered it, putting it to his ear with a deep sigh.

“Hello?” He said, his voice rough from sleep.

“ _Good morning, Nipote_.” He sighed at the sound of his uncles voice and rubbed his eyes.

“What do you need, Uncle?”

“ _Come over this morning. We need to have a long talk._ ”

“Ok. I'll be there in 30.”

“Make it 15.” He heard the click as his uncle hung up and he practically screamed in frustration. 

“Great. Just fucking great.” He growled as he headed to his closet to browse through his suits. He was about to give up when his black dress bag at the back of his closet caught his eye and he remembered his impulse purchase from a few weeks before.

A grin spread across his face and he wrapped his fingers around the hanger.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll! Hell yeah! Over 1200 words. Maybe I'll actually finish this story before December lol

Nick pulled up outside of his uncles house and parked his Lincoln. He could see people walking around the property, and he walked up to the front gate and buzzed the door. He heard the speaker crackle before a heavily accented voice came through.

“Nicolas?” 

“Yes.” The gate clicked and two security guards pulled it open.

His uncle was already walking down the path to greet him, his arms open. Nick walked forward and gave his uncle a tight hug. His uncle held him out in front of him and looked him over.

“You've grown more muscular. And I like the white suit. It suits your features.” He smirked and smoothed out his snow white suit jacket. 

“Thank you, Uncle Federico.” He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led his nephew up towards the house.

“You look more and more Italiano every day.” 

“I'm still half Polish, Uncle.” He waved him off.

“It's good. Your beautiful mother gave you your strong features and dark hair. Your father gave you your striking blue eyes. They made a handsome son.” He sighed and pulled away from his uncles grasp.

“Why have you called me here, Federico?” He screwed his mouth up and reached into his breast pocket. He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Nick. 

He could see how thick it was before he even grabbed it. The envelope hadn't been sealed yet and he snuck a peek at the money inside. Federico grinned at the shocked look on his nephews face.

“Uncle...I-” Federico held up a hand to silence him. 

“Take the money, _Nipote_. Consider it a parting gift from the family.” Nick swallowed the hard lump in his throat and looked up at his uncle.

“What is it you want me to do?” His uncle laughed and wagged a finger at him. 

“You know me too well, _Nipote_. I need you to take over the case investigating me. I need to be able to do my last job without being arrested.” Nick sighed and looked down at the heavy envelope.

It was enough money to shove into his savings account and build him up a pretty little nest egg. He'd probably be able to retire early with that much money. He tucked the envelope into his suit jacket and nodded.

“I'll talk to Chief Price. Convince her to hand it to me. She wants her new pet to have field experience anyways.” His uncle raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Who?”

“My new partner. He's Matt’s replacement.” 

“Already? They dishonor Sinclair. You lost a brother and I feel as if I lost a nephew. You need time to grieve.” He smiled at his uncle and sighed.

“I'll be fine, Uncle. And I'll get that case.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Ellis came into work to see Nick leaning against his desk, a mug of coffee in his hands. He was wearing a startlingly white suit and he appeared to thinking. He walked over to his own desk and put his bag down. That seemed to snap Nick out of his daydream and he glared at Ellis.

“I'm trying to think. Could you be any louder, hayseed?” Ellis rolled his eyes and began pulling out little knick knacks for his desk. He put up a few pictures of his friends and family and a little statue of some race car driver Nick didn't recognize. 

“So what's our plan fer the day, partner?” 

“We've got a case. You ever heard of ‘The Family’ before?” 

“I am...familiar with the concept.” It took Nick a second to realize that Ellis misunderstood him and he planted his face in his palm.

“That's not what I meant. They're a mob family in town.” Ellis nodded, now fully understanding Nick. “Chief Price wants us to investigate their head honco, Federico Salvatore. Word on the street is that he's planning his last job before retiring.” 

Ellis felt his palm start sweating and he grinned. Holy shit! He was gonna be working a real mob case! This was like from a movie or something!

“Where are we startin’?” Nick put his mug down and picked up the file on his desk. He tossed it to Ellis who had to drop the pickup truck statue he was holding to catch it. 

“An old associate of his named Rico Juarez. Grab your shit and let's go.” Nick walked towards the door and Ellis had to quickly rush after him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nick was dead silent during the drive to Rico’s house and Ellis felt awkward. He knew a good relationship with your partner was important but Nick was giving him nothing. He shifted awkwardly in his seat before clearing his throat. Nick side eyed him and raised an eyebrow.

“So...yew married?” Ellis finally asked, noticing the rings on his partners hands. He scoffed and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“No. I haven't been for a long time.” He glanced over at Ellis who had his mouth screwed up, embarrassed. He laughed and looked back at the road.

“What about you? Got a girlfriend?” Ellis blushed and looked down at his feet.

“No. I ain't really had much luck with girls.” 

“What about a boyfriend then?” Ellis stammered and Nick knew he'd riled the kid up.

“No! I'm not gay.” Nick raised an eyebrow and snorted. 

“You don't need to be gay to have a boyfriend.” 

Before Ellis could respond, Nick had stopped the car and turned it off. The two men climbed out of the sedan and turned to look at the colonial house that Juarez called home. Nick pulled his badge out from under his shirt and laid it over his dress shirt. 

The younger detective moved ahead of Nick and practically skipped up the stairs. He knocked thrice on the front door and pulled his own badge off of his belt. The door opened a crack and a woman peeked out at them nervously. Nick pushed Ellis aside and showed her his badge.

“We're here to speak to Rico Juarez. We need to ask him some questions.” She opened the door wider and frowned at them.

“You can talk to him but I don't think he'll do a whole lot of answering. He's dead.” Ellis frowned and looked at his partner who muttered a curse under his breath.

“Well what was yer relationship to Mr. Juarez, ma’am?” She smiled at him, clearly finding him nicer than Nick.

“I'm his wife. Or I was. I'm single now.” She said winking at Ellis who smiled bashfully.

“As much as I'd love to listen to you two flirt all day, we need to get going. Thank you Mrs. Juarez.” He grabbed Ellis’ arm and pulled him down the stairs with him. 

He let go of the Georgian and ignored the way his hand tingled after gripping his firm upper arm. He wouldn't have know the kid was that muscular if he hadn't grabbed his bicep. The southerner was apparently a fan of ugly, ill-fitting suits. 

“You need a new wardrobe.” He grunted, climbing into the drivers side of the car.

Ellis looked down at his gray suit and frowned.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late. I've decided to stop promising when the stories should be up. I'll just post when I can.

When they returned to the station, Ellis was lost in thought. Was there something about him that made him seem gay? He didn't think there was nothing wrong with it. He'd just never been asked before.

He looked over at Nick who was walking slowly and reading the case file. He'd mentioned in the car that he was going to run the rest of the names on their list to see who was still alive. 

Maybe Nick was gay, Ellis thought with a cocked head. He seemed to have unique sense of fashion and an appreciation for finer things. But that could just mean he's fancy. 

There were no photos on his partners desk save for a photo of him and a man on a beach with smiles on their faces. They seemed close but that could just be his best friend or brother.

“Hey Nick. Who's that guy?” He asked, pointing at the photo. Nick looked over at the photo and grimaced.

“Sinclair. That was our Cancun trip from 2005.” He said, his voice a bit strained. 

Ellis smiled at the photo. Nick looked pleased as punch and Sinclair seemed happy. He'd only heard good things about the detective so far and that made him think he was a very good man. 

“Stop staring at the picture, hayseed.” Nick said without looking up from the file. 

He was sitting at his desk now, looking up the people in the police database. Ellis sat at his own desk, fiddling with his Jimmy Gibbs Jr. bobblehead. Nick seemed frustrated at his work and Ellis leaned over to look at the list. 

“Should I look up some of these folks in the database?”

“No I've got it. Our day is almost over anyways. You might as well go upstairs and flirt with Zoey.”

“It's only two. We don't leave until six.” Nick sighed and turned to look at the junior detective.

“I'm telling you to leave me alone. Go away.” He made a shooing motion and turned back to his computer.

Ellis huffed and turned to the hall leading to Zoey’s domain. He passed a few people in the hall who smiled politely and continued past him without a second glance. He climbed the stairs slowly and made his way to her office. 

Through the window, Ellis could see her texting someone with her feet kicked up onto her desk. He smiled and opened the door. She looked up at him and nodded at him.

“Hey Whitley. Can I help you with something?” 

“Nick told me to leave. Said he wanted me to leave him alone.” She snorted and pocketed her phone.

“Sounds like Belle.” He cocked his head.

“Belle?” She grinned, mischievously and rubbed her hands together.

“My nickname for him. He hates it. I need a new one though. Belle is getting tired.” She smiled at Ellis who couldn't seem to focus his eyes anywhere. “So why did you come to see me specifically? Can't get enough?” 

His eyes widened and he stammered wildly. Zoey cackled and waved him off.

“I'm just fucking with you. Chill out.”

There was a sharp knock at the door and Nick entered with his notepad in hand. He looked up at the two of them and scowled.

“I've got the addresses, Whitley. Let's roll.” Zoey snickered at Nick and he glared at her.

“What?” He growled, his eyes filled with pure anger.

“Nice suit, Colonel Sanders.” His jaw dropped and Ellis dragged him out of the room before he could yell at the girl.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They pulled up outside of the final house they needed to visit that day. Most of the people hadn't spoken to Salvatore in years. Some were not even in the state anymore. Nick looked down at the last name on the list and sighed.

“Zosime Kanakaredes.” 

“Ain't that an actresses name?” Ellis questioned, following Nick up to the front door.

“That's _Melina_ Kanakaredes. And she's not the only person in the world with that last name.” Nick said coldly knocking on the front door.

A tall, lean woman with curly black hair opened the door and gave him a questioning look. She was wearing an apron and her hair had been pulled back into a messy bun. 

“Can I help you?” She asked, her words rolling off her tongue with a strong Greek accent.

“I'm detective Bellinski and this is my partner Whitley.” He said, showing her his badge. “We need to talk to you about Federico Salvatore.” She made a disgusted noise and crossed her arms.

“What about that scumbag?” Nick seemed surprised at her anger.

“When was the last time you spoke to ‘im?” Ellis asked, cutting off before he could question her rudely.

“About a year ago. He said he wanted to see me again. Wanted to rekindle our romance. I told him to eat shit.” Ellis scoffed in surprise.

“You were his girlfriend?” Nick asked.

“Yes. Worst 5 years of my life. He was always doing something illegal.” She eyed them up and chuckled wryly. “Apparently he still is.”

“So you have no information?” 

“None. So are we done here? Because I'm trying to make dinner.” Nick nodded and she closed the door in his face. 

“Well that was a bust.” He said.

He headed down the steps, Ellis jogging ahead to the car. He leaned against the door and waited for Nick to round the car and unlock it. He debated locking the kid out but decided against it. He wasn't in the mood for receiving a verbal beatdown from Rochelle.

“Now what?” Ellis asked, climbing into the passenger seat.

“We go back to the station, finish the paperwork, and head home.” 

They drove back to the station in silence. Whenever Ellis would try to speak, Nick would tell him to stop. Eventually he decided to just lean against the window and watched the cars pass their slow moving sedan.

When they pulled in and headed to their desks to finish paperwork, Ellis decided he was going to make the first move to befriend Nick. He wasn't sure how though. 

“Done.” Nick said, submitting his paperwork and shutting his computer down. Ellis watched him pack up before deciding to speak up. 

“Do yew wanna get a drink?” Ellis asked, when had his back to him. 

Nick froze. Every Friday he'd go out with Matt and drink. Now this kid wanted to be his best friend and go drinking with him. He wasn't ready for that just yet.

“No. I'm not in the mood.” 

“Oh. Well have a nice night then.” Ellis said, disappointed.

Nick practically fled the station.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Writers block

Nick decided to drink alone. So on his way home he stopped at the liquor store to grab another bottle of whiskey to replace his depleted stock at home. The cashier greeted him with a nod and continued reading his magazine. 

He threw a bottle of whiskey in his basket and went back to browsing. Chips and some ginger ale was thrown into the basket and he debated grabbing a bucket of ice cream before vetoing the idea. He hadn't even noticed the bell above the door ring until he heard a shriek of panic from the cashier.

“Open the register! Now!” He heard a gruff voice call out and gently placed his basket on the ground.

A man stood in front of the counter, a gun pointed in the cashiers face. He was shoving money into a paper bag and crying. Tears streamed down his face as he handed the bag over with shaking hands.

“Open the safe too!” He demanded, waving the gun in his face. 

“Only the owner has the code.” 

_God damn it._ Nick thought as he pulled his gun out of its holster.

He kicked his shoes off so he only had socks and walked low, making sure to stay out of sight of the mirror above the counter. He flicked the safety and approached the robber, his gun held up. The robber was still demanding the money from the safe and didn't notice Nick at all. 

“Freeze!” Nick called out harshly. 

The robbber turned to him and dropped his gun. A plastic panel popped off the side of the gun and Nick sighed in relief when he realized it was a toy gun. The robber held his hands up and Nick stepped forward to pull his ski mask off.

“Don't shoot me!” He cried out, dropping to his knees. 

“I'm not going to shoot you.” He looked over the man's head at the cashier. “Call 911. Report an attempted robbery.” He nodded and pulled his phone out, hands still shaking.

Nick holstered his weapon and pulled his handcuffs out. He yanked him up to his feet and turned him around to cuff him. The man was focused on the floor and shuffled his feet, clearly embarrassed at being caught.

The distant sound of a siren drew Nick’s attention and he dragged the perp over to the door. The squad car pulled into the lot and Overbeck climbed out, Banks climbing out of the passenger side.

“Hey Louis.” He said, passing the robber over to him. “Bill.” He nodded at Bill who had an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips.

“What the hell happened?” He asked, as Louis removed Nicks cuffs and slapped his own on the man.

“Guy decided the liquor store would be an easy hit.” Louis sighed.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney.” 

As Louis read the man his Miranda rights, Bill passed Nick a cigarette. He nodded in thanks and lit it. As he took a drag, the cashier walked out of the store, the plastic gun in his hands. Bill raised an eyebrow and looked at the small plastic toy. 

“Weapon. A kids toy painted black.” Louis scoffed and pulled a plastic evidence bag out of the glove compartment. 

“Never seen that one before.” He bagged the gun and threw it in his seat. “You riding back to the station with us?” 

“Nah. I'll call Price and tell her you got the collar. I know your arrests are low this month anyways. Guy will squeal anyways. He's a wimp.” Louis nodded and fist bumped Nick before climbing into the squad car.

“We'll see you tomorrow.” Bill said, shaking his hand and rounding the car.

“What do I do?” The cashier asked.

“Call the owner. And follow them to the station.” 

Nick waited for the cashier to lock up and call the owner. Once the man was in his car, following after Louis and Bill, Nick got in his own car and headed home.

Screw alcohol. He needed to sleep.  
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Nick woke the next morning in a cold sweat. The sun was barely peeking through the blinds and the faint chirp of birds could be heard. He sat up slowly and wiped the beads of sweat off of his forehead. 

Most of his nights were dreamless. Occasionally he'd dream about old memories or something he'd seen on tv. He'd never had a sex dream about a coworker before. Hell, he hadn't had a sex dream since he was a teenager.

He climbed out of bed and grabbed his robe off the back of bedroom door. Shuffling into his kitchen to grab a glass of water, he almost screamed at the sight of his uncle. He clutches his chest and took a deep breath.

“What the fuck?” His uncle chuckled and took a long drag off of his cigar.

“Apologies, _nipote_. I thought you heard me come in.” 

Nick opened his fridge and pulled the water pitcher out, choosing to just drink straight from it. He put it back in the fridge and turned to look at his uncle. 

“What do you need, Uncle?” He smirked and stood from the couch. 

“We have a buyer. We're meeting them tonight in the warehouse district. Unit #68 on East Cameron.” Nick sighed.

“Who tipped off the police?” 

“Enzo. I told him to call in with an anonymous tip.” 

“I have a partner, Federico. I may be staking out the warehouse but he'll be there too. What do we do when we inevitably spot you?” Federico threw him a small bag and extinguished his cigar. 

“Distract him.”

Federico stood and left the apartment, the smell of his Cuban cigar and cologne wafting behind him. Nick grumbled to himself, crossing the room to bolt the front door shut, not that it would stop his uncle. He walked back to the counter, untying the bag to see whatever his uncle had given him. 

Sitting at the bottom of the plastic bag was a six pack if condoms and a bottle of lube. He threw the bag across the room to land on the couch and buried his face in his hands.

“Oh, you old son of a bitch.”


End file.
